Donne, John; Gardner, Helen

John Donne's holograph of ‘A Letter to the Lady Carey and Mrs Essex Riche'. [A facsimile.]

London: Scolar Mansell/Oxford: Bodleian Library, 1972. A superb facsimile of Donne's original, written on both sides of a piece of lightweight laid paper 21.4 x 15.7 cm. Under magnification of 5x or more you may be able to see the gilt edges at the sides and bottom of the sheet and the beautifully torn upper edge—a superb facsimile, indeed. It is housed in a thin, plastic envelope. Accompanying it is a booklet containing Helen Gardner's essay and a transcription of the letter: frontispiece portrait of Donne; [iv] + [11] pp.; gray paper covers. printed in black and white. Both items are housed in a glossy black portfolio with titling in white, 23.4 x 18.6 cm. The manuscript, written by Donne in Amiens in 1611/1612 "was found and identified in 1970 among the family papers of the Duke of Manchester…. That the poem was by Donne, and that it was in his hand… was recognized by Mr. Peter Croft of Sotheby's." At the time this facsimile was published -- or so the story went -- the original got mixed in with the stack of printed copies and caused the staff many anxious hours before it finally was located. ISBN 0-85417-887-2. Very slight wear of the portfolio; the contents are as new. Lasi copy. **Free domestic shipping with direct order. Item #87001

Price: $40.00